Sometimes you hear a vocal that immediately warms the cockles, feels like a fond memory or surrounds you with a comfort that you didn’t know you needed. The Tipsy Scholars return with just that, after a busy 2018 that saw them release the Nowhere to Be EP. Their new single looks to build on their catalogue that goes back to 2014, when a few musical blokes met at a Canberra university and who now create music that slides into your head and your heart.
Hey Friend, with it’s rich and honest lyric, aims to continue on from where their song, Modern Anxiety, left off. In a world where looking after yourself and others can often be overlooked, the band aim to address the false constructions of masculinity with an encouragement to slow down, talk to each other and adopt a positive and progressive attitude that will improve, not only society, our relationships, but our own mental well-being.
It’s also a damn beautiful tune. With a rich woven tapestry of harmonies, a striking, but understated guitar and a triumphant build-up that brings it all together. The originally Canberran four-piece (now split between Sydney and Canberra) have taken more of a DIY approach to this single as they start a new future – one that (sadly) doesn’t include Conagh McMahon-Hogan’s mandolin that was a major part of previous releases – but embarking on a more indie-rock route, with a very live-feeling recorded, in of all places, drummer Alec Brinsmead’s bedroom.
James Kelly, guitarist, singer and writer, points to a couple of weeks away down the coast with bassist, Joel Shapero, as the catalyst for the song. During that time of self-reflection and soul searching, the song bloomed and has already had a spin on triple j’s Roots ‘n’ All. He hopes that the song might encourage men to share their feelings more, be-it over a beer at the pub, over a quiet cuppa or anywhere, really.
This song “aims to create a platform allowing for the open sharing of emotion, joy and vulnerability between friends.”
The new single is due for release this Friday, the 31st of May, but we’re very excited to give you a sneak preview of the song before it drops on all the platforms.
The band are preparing to release a few tracks this year, so if this whets your appetite, add them on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and Twitter.
